nightmares and lullabies
by exquisitedarkness
Summary: the doppelganger is not what lures the salvatore brothers back to mystic falls. instead, it is bennett blood they're after, each with their own set of intentions. but which brother is the better brother now? AU from season one onward.


little wicked witch.

* * *

He realizes that the trickiest part of his plan will not be finding Bonnie Bennett, but taming her.

She lives on Orchid Street, in a pale yellow house with shutters that might have been light blue had the sun been kinder over the years. It had not. The tiny home she shares with her father - a frequently travelling insurance salesman - is quaint, and almost always empty when she is not in it.

From a distance, Bonnie seems to be a rather mousy little thing. That is what fools him in the beginning.

His first glimpse of her is at the crack of dawn. He has been watching her house for 15 hours now. She comes scrambling out a second story window overlooking the street when the first golden rays break beyond the horizon, filtering light into the slumbering world.

These are odd hours for a human teenage girl, but apparently this is a regular occurrence. She's well-prepared.

Her purple plaid pajama shorts ride up deliciously as she swings one leg over the window sill and then the other, clutching a steaming mug of mint tea in one hand and a blanket tucked under her arm. He can smell the powerful fragrance of the mint from across the street.

The roof over the porch is flat; she carefully folds the blanket into two layers and sits, crossing her legs. As indigo sky begins to burn hues of orange and fuschia she raises the mug to her lips, sipping carefully.

All the world is still. Silent. Even the birds have yet to begin their morning song. Eventually she sets the mug aside, stretches out her thin, caramel legs and shuts her eyes.

She doesn't move again for a number of minutes.

It feels like ages.

Curiosity hums restlessly in his stomach. From his hiding place he can make out her slightly crooked features but somehow it is not enough. He supposes she must be meditating - centering herself to face the day. Her expression remains unchanged - in this moment she is completely bare, unaware of her observer.

No. It is certainly not enough. He needs to be closer - to familiarize himself with her distinct scent so he can pick her out of a crowd at will.

This is his first time truly observing her after all. He'd found her picture in a random yearbook at the high school - in the tiny black and white photograph from freshman year her hair had been in two ridiculously lopsided french braids - a poor choice that not even camera angle could fix. There had been another photo, too, the one that had brought him to this house.

She'd been posing with a perky blonde in the driveway, wearing Mystic Falls High colors on her cheeks for spirit week. The photo must've been submitted.

Unfortunately for him, school isn't in session again for several weeks. Though he's already taken the liberty of enrolling himself, he might not get another opportunity for some time if he fails to take advantage of this one. Plus, patience is not particularly high on his list of virtues.

He drops soundlessly down from the tree branch.

He's up the maple tree in her front yard in a fraction of a second. She never moves. A gentle breeze ripples through the leaves, tossing her dark curls into a fray about her flawless heart-shaped face.

Oh. He leans forward a bit, resting a forearm on his knee.

She is much prettier up close.

In his wonder, he miscalculates. A twig snaps. Her jade green eyes snap open and just like that his cover is blown.

"You!" She snarls. She catches him off guard with the surprisingly powerful intonation of her voice and a raised hand. Index and middle finger curl. The limb he is crouched on creaks in protest, but his windpipe seems to take the brunt of the blow. Her fingers curl tighter and the invisible vice around his neck squeezes in tandem.

"You stay out of my bedroom, vampire! You have some balls coming this close! I told you before to stay the hell away, I won't tell you again!"

A flick of her wrist sends him flying from the tree to the ground. Stunned, he struggles to catch a breath like an average human, though his supernatural lungs don't need the oxygen. It is an old habit that never quite died. When he looks to the roof again it is just in time to catch her bedroom window slamming shut behind her.

He massages his throat on the way to his stashed vehicle, mildly amused and slightly miffed at how swiftly she had gotten one over on him.

Well.

Given the fact that this very morning was the first time he'd actually laid eyes on her, he has quite a theory about who could be running around wearing his face. Not to mention the fact that Bonnie had known what he was. Still...it would've been impossible for any vampire to get into her house without being invited in...And of course, the witch genes had not skipped this generation. Just as he'd hoped.

Procuring the Bennett girl and her precious witchy blood would be a bit more challenging than he initially anticipated. He's not bothered by this in the slightest. In fact, he relishes in it - in how soon he'll have everything he's been wanting for years. It will all come down to her.

His car rumbles to life. He throws it in gear, coasting amiably down Orchid street as the birds begin to chirp, trachea fully mended.

For now, he'll stay away and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

The fall will be even better.

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these chapters are going to be around 1,000 words each. please leave a review!

Enjoy.

M.


End file.
